Got ya! I did not mean I was using the modern era that involves AI, robots, high tech... and slave labor and sweatshops to teach my students about the Industrial Revolution. I mean the actual movie Modern Times starring the very talented Charlie Chaplin. Although this movie was released in 1936, it did an amazing job of satirizing big business and the Industrial Revolution which had ended at the turn of the century.
I originally was planning on directing my students to take a gallery walk of images of the problems of the Industrial Revolutions but kind of like Hive, the pictures weren't quite doing it for me. I wanted a little more pizazz. After a little research, I discovered that, because it is a brilliant satire, Modern Times is chocked full of scenes that I could use to teach my students about some of the negative consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Here's the first clip. See if you can spot what problems are being illustrated before reading my commentary after the clip (that is what my students will be doing as well). You will need to manually stop it at the 3:19 mark.
I hope you, and my students, noticed how workers during this time were treated like livestock (the sheep). In addition, hopefully you noticed just how many workers were needed. If you have a very keen eye, you may have noticed the pollution the factory was causing.
Let's try the next one. Be sure to stop the scene at 6:21.
The point of this clip is to show a few things. First, the toll the repetitive work takes on the body. Next, the sheer speed of the work that needs to be done. Third, the fact that employees were expected not to take breaks, and if they did they had to punch in and out. And finally, the overseer of the factory is always watching to make sure workers are constantly working.
We are on a roll so let's keep going.
This clip is directly related to the previous clip and I might actually show the two together before discussing.
This clip satirizes the lengths a business owner and management will go in order to get the most work as possible out of each employee. In the clip, the factory owners have commissioned the invention of a feeding machine so that workers do not have to take a break to eat.
In what may be the most famous scen of the movie, Chaplin again spoofs the factories and their owners. This one should be easy to spot.
I am showing that scene to illustrate the idea of unsafe working conditions. It is also just an amazing feat of movie making!
The next one is tough. you might have to pay attention what is NOT happening as much as to what is happening. Make sure to stop at the 31:21 mark.
Did you notice what the children were not doing? Where were they not at?... School! The scene also shows the violence that could take when so many desperate people are unemployed. It illustrated the need for jails as well.
Here's another one that you need to be clever to spot.
The purpose of that scene is to show students the challenges workers faced when they tried to organize. At the end of the scene, the police actually come and bust up the workers' protest.
Here's the next one. Make sure to stop at 1:00:25
This scene beautifully portrays the terrible living conditions workers faced during the Industrial Revolution. It also shows the number of unemployed workers and how desperate they were to get back to their horrible pay and terrible working conditions.
After that scene I plan on showing some photographs from the time to fill in some of the other problems of the time. I also plan on introducing the activity by highlighting some of the positives of the Industrial Revolution like the new inventions and products that became available. I'm hoping that by using theses clips along with the photographs, I will provide enough "edutainment" to keep my students engaged.
How did you do? Did you spot all of the problems of the Industrial Revolution in the clips? Do you have any suggestions?